Report: The Rock's XFL, USFL 'in Advanced Talks to Merge' as Alternative to NFL

Two competing spring football leagues could soon become one, as the XFL and USFL are reportedly having discussions about a potential merger.

According to Axios.com's Tim Baysinger, Dan Primack and Sara Fischer, the two leagues are "in advanced talks to merge," and an agreement could be announced as soon as they week.

The XFL and USFL are reportedly hoping to complete the merger before their 2024 seasons are scheduled to start after the Super Bowl.

The original XFL, which was owned by longtime WWE chairman Vince McMahon, ran for only one season in 2001 before folding. McMahon relaunched it in 2020, but the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

McMahon later sold the league to WWE legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia and RedBird Capital Partners, and it played a full schedule this year from February through April.

The original USFL was the staunchest competitor the NFL ever faced since the NFL-AFL merger, as the league had some deep-pocketed owners and poached some elite-level talent, such as Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Herschel Walker and Doug Flutie.

While the USFL eventually folded in 1986 after running from 1983 through 1985, a new USFL launched in 2022 under the ownership of Fox Corp.

The league got a leg up on the XFL by starting one year earlier, and it has made it through two seasons in its entirety.

Although the USFL and XFL schedules didn't intersect for long since the USFL ran from April through July, they were both trying to cement themselves as the dominant spring football league.

According to Baysinger, Primack and Fischer, the XFL and USFL want to have a "merger of equals," and broadcasting of the games would likely be split between Fox networks and Disney networks, the latter of which have a deal with the XFL.

By merging, the XFL and USFL could form one strong and united league that is both more viable financially and features almost all of the top non-NFL professional players.

Neither the XFL nor the USFL is a threat to the NFL separately or apart, but they likely have a better chance at long-term viability as a spring alternative if they can figure out a way to pool all of their resources together.